


the mad ones

by joanses (deerie)



Series: doctor who fusions that probably shouldn't exist but do [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Jack Kerouac RPF
Genre: beat - Freeform, i don't even really know how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-18
Updated: 2012-05-18
Packaged: 2017-11-05 14:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/407411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deerie/pseuds/joanses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One night, one starry night, the Doctor comes. Jack is drunk on the side of the road and when he recognizes who it is, he points in a random direction and simply says, “Mexico.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	the mad ones

One night, one starry night, the Doctor comes. Jack is drunk on the side of the road and when he recognizes who it is, he points in a random direction and simply says, “Mexico.”

The Doctor is cowardly when he interrupts, “Listen to me Jack, listen - you’ve got to stop making other people into heroes. You need to stop making other people out to be heroes, because we’re not. You’ve got to become the hero this time. This story is yours.”

The words burn his hearts, because he know, he knows in the morning Jack won’t remember what he’s said and he knows that he won’t be brave enough to say them again.

When Jack says, “I know, I know -” The Doctor knows that this is the last time he’ll ever see Jack Kerouac, good ol’ Jack, and the knowledge burns in his hearts.

The Doctor stands from where he’d crouched down to speak to Jack, who is sprawled out across the curb and alone. He straightens his tie. “I’ll see you again,” he says, “but I don’t think you’ll see me again. I’m sorry.”

He moves to leave, to walk down the street and never look back, but the collision of Jack’s hand against his shin stops him. Jack’s face is marred with a frown and for one startling moment, the Doctor almost thinks the universe shines through his eyes. “You know what your problem is?” Jack asks, and the Doctor almost doesn’t want to hear what Jack has to say, not in that hard tone. “IT.”

“What,” the Doctor says.

“You change faces so easily, you forget what it’s like for the rest of us. There are those of us who are trying so hard to find IT, but you live IT and you’ve forgotten - or maybe you never knew - what it’s like for us. You can die, but you’ll wake up again with another face and another chance. When I go, it’s over. I’ve got to find the heroes where I can, Doctor. You don’t get to take that away from me.”

The Doctor stays silent, and Jack doesn’t say anything more. He turns back to his jug of wine and the Doctor turns back to the starry night sky.

He is almost comforted by the idea that Jack won’t remember.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. I guess I should explain this? Basically, last semester I took a class on beat literature and somehow in between Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg talking about time and space, I thought, "You know what would be cool? Some Doctor Who in here." So I started writing it. I had this whole plan - there was going to be clips of Kerouac talking, and pictures, and it was going to be great and then I stopped. I asked myself, "how self-indulgent is this fic?"
> 
> And so I've posted this snippet with the Tenth Doctor, although he doesn't really play much of a role in what I'm still writing. :D? I will probably continue this, but I've got to figure out how first.
> 
> If we're playing along at home, this is potentially after _On The Road_ , but before _The Dharma Bums_.


End file.
